Stewie Robotic Therapeutic Horse

May-15-18 Stewie the robotic horse lets patients take advantage of hippotherapy without paying the price of stable fees.

Equine-assisted therapy (hippotherapy) is believed to offer therapeutic benefits to patients with coordination or posture problems through the three-dimensional, rhythmic rocking motion of the animal. However, not everyone has access to a horse.

Developed by a team from Rice University, the six-legged robotic horse simulates the natural motions of a moving horse via its six computer-controlled motors attached to its legs. The system is based on the Stewart platform, a concept developed in the 50s, which allows the motors to be manipulated individually to accurately mimic an array of horse gaits. The student team plans to make their codes open-source online so others can improve on the program.

More Info about this Invention:

[DIGITALTRENDS.COM]
[NEWS.RICE.EDU]

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